Name of Generic Religious Texts in the Body of Your Paper
Do not italicize or use quotation marks in your paper when referring to a generic religious text. These terms appear without italics or quotation marks when referred to in your paper:
Only italicize titles of individual published editions of religious texts (e.g., The Talmud of the Land of Israel: A Preliminary Translation and Explanation, The Interlinear Bible, etc.) when specifically citing them in your paper.
In-Text Citations
The titles of books of scripture are often abbreviated for the in-text citation. For a full list of abbreviations, consult section 1.6.4 of the MLA Handbook.
Title. Version. Edited by First Name Last Name of Editor, Publisher, Year of publication.
For in-text citations, use (Title, Version or Editor, Chapter and verse)
Note: The titles of books of scripture are often abbreviated for the in-text citation. For a full list of abbreviations, consult the Purdue OWL.
| Works Cited List Example |
The New Jerusalem Bible. Edited by Henry Wansbrough, Doubleday, 1985. |
| In-Text Citation Example |
(New Jerusalem Bible, 1 Chron. 21.8) |
| Works Cited List Example |
The Bible. Authorized King James Version, Introd. and notes by Robert Carroll and Stephen Prickett, Oxford UP, 1998. |
| In-Text Citation Example |
(Bible, King James, Rev. 21.3) Note: If you cite multiple versions of a text, add information such as version, editor, or translator to identify the specific text. |
| Works Cited List Example |
The Qur'an. Translated by M.A.S. Abdel Haleem, Oxford UP, 2005. |
| In-Text Citation Example |
(Qur'an, Joseph 12:69) |
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